It is important to both retailers and customers to provide the customer certain information concerning clothing without the necessity for handling the garment. Not only does this save time, it also eliminates possible damage to or soiling of the garments due to handling. It also saves both customer and personnel time.
Many devices and systems have been developed for this purpose. However, each has had limitations which have restricted its use to one or two particular garment hanger constructions. Thus, each retailer has had to obtain identification means particularly adapted to its garment display system. This has resulted in many retailers still depending upon the practice of hanging tags for this purpose. To read the tags normally requires handling of the garment and this can result in soiling of the garment. It is also a relatively slow procedure.
Among the limitations which have complicated the identification system is the variety of hanger designs. Another complicating factor is whether the garment is to be displayed on a rack in which case it is seen only from one end of the hanger or so displayed so that it is viewed from the front. In an effort to overcome this, some systems provide a display means canted at an angle to the length of the hanger thereby providing a compromise between front and end displays. This solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,639 entitled HANGER WITH SIZE INDICATOR PANEL, issued May 29, 1984 to E. L. Duester. Others have mounted it over the hook to seat on top of the hanger body and have even provided a means for stabilizing the display device's rotational position around the hook. Still others have provided a split ring which can be resiliently snapped onto the hanger hook. These solutions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,773 entitled TALLY FOR ARTICLE DISPLAYS, issued Apr. 22, 1980 to J. H. Batts et al. All of these various type of snap-on or push on information display devices are limited to use with plastic hangers having specific structural features. Thus, in a large clothing retail operation, a wide variety of identification means must be stocked and coordinated, all of which adds to the cost of merchandising the clothing.